By Alexander Villafania
INQUIRER.net

AT the recently concluded Games Convention Asia 2008 in Singapore, the Game Development Association of the Philippines (GDAP) had another crack at promoting the Philippines as place to get services for game development and great talent.

GDAP President Gabby Dizon and International Game Development Association (IGDA) Philippine Chapter Manager Ranulf Goss sat with INQUIRER.net to talk about the organization’s expectations for the GCA.

Dizon, who is also president of his own company Flipside Games, said that their attendance to GCA 2008 was the second since the first GCA event in 2007.

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By Alexander Villafania
INQUIRER.net

IF there were any great equalizers in new digital media, it would be video games and piracy, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology Co-Director for Comparative Media Studies Henry Jenkins III.

In an interview with hackenslash at the recently held Games Convention Asia (GCA) in Singapore, Jenkins said video games have converged different entertainment platforms that allowed producers of these contents to exercise new ways to stretch the viability of their intellectual properties. Jenkins refers to this as “transmedia strategies.”

Though video games started out as a stand alone entertainment platform, with stories and characters of their own, they eventually became a convergent platform. There are now tie-ups among movie studios, book and comics publishers, and music recording companies with video game developers to come up with convergent content.

Jenkins said that this trend will continue on as more people who are seeking specific content find out releases regarding their favorite material, be it books, music, movies, TV series, video games, and even toys.

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By Alexander Villafania
INQUIRER.net

SINGAPORE – Singapore video game publisher and distributor Cherry Credits said it is launching Black Shot, a team-based, an online first-person shooter game, in the Philippines soon.

Cherry Credits CEO Addison Kang said they already have a partner in the Philippines to publish the game though he did not mention the company’s name.

“We’ll reveal it in mid-October this year when we start the close beta test. We’ll do an open beta by November,” Kang said.

Black Shot is similar to Counterstrike in terms of game play. Most of the controls are even following the same pattern as CS.

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By Alexander Villafania
INQUIRER.net

SINGAPORE — Game developer Peter Molyneux, known as one of the pioneers in the “god game” genre of video games urged developers here to continue pushing the envelope of game development.

Having been credited for making god games like the seminal Populous, Molyneux shared his past experiences, his thoughts about today’s development trends, and his company’s new project that he claimed will be a big surprise for gamers.

Molyneux has been in the business of creating “god games,” which lets players act as a divine or omniscient entity controlling the creation of an entire world that can affect units in a make-believe, virtual world.

Speaking during the Games Convention Asia 2008 here, the soft spoken Molyneux said he has seen a lot of changes in the way games are developed — not just on the programming but also on the business aspect of developing games. [Read the rest of this entry »]

By Alexander Villafania
INQUIRER.net

SINGAPORE — The first day of the Games Convention Asia (GCA) 2008 has shown how big the size of the gaming market is for Asia. People trickled in to see the latest games from Electronic Arts (EA), Ubisoft, Crytek.

Apart from displays of game peripherals for console games and the PC, Asian gaming companies were also here to showcase games they have developed. Also, several companies were preparing to launch titles for the Asian markets during the event. Notable is EA, which showcased a new lineup of online games specifically targeting the Asian market.

In this year’s convention, known game developers and publishers are being lined up to share their experiences. Among them are Lionhead Studios Founder Peter Molyneux (Populus, Black & White, Fable), Crytek President Cevat Yerli (FarCry, Crysis), Ubisoft Creative Director Michael de Plater (Tom Clancy’s EndWar), Massachusetts Institute of Technology Co-Director Henry Jenkins III.

Even with more online games being featured, I noticed that console titles still take center stage this year as titles for Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Sony PlayStation 3 are being showcased at the event.

One of the highlights in this year’s event are talks given by game development and publishing experts on different topics addressing the industry, including human resource, animation design, storyboard writing, mobile gaming and even virtual economies.

GCA is expecting to accommodate over 100,000 game enthusiasts, developers and publishers from across Asia.

Wolfgang Marzin, chief executive officer of Liepziger Messe International, which is organizing the event, said Asia is a major market for gaming, be it console or the hugely popular online gaming sector.

He said Asia’s gaming industry will continue to grow as more people see gaming as an equally suitable form of entertainment along with TV and movies.

“We want this region in the world to grow and make gaming an important industry,” Marzin said.